Car boot lip protection cover

ABSTRACT

Motor vehicle accessory ( 1 ) for protecting boot lip ( 14 ) and adjacent fender ( 15 ) of vehicle from damage comprises sheet ( 2 ) of flexible material for positionning inside boot ( 10 ) of vehicle. Sheet ( 2 ) is moveable between stowed position when received within boot ( 10 ) and operative position when extended over boot lip ( 14 ) and adjacent fender ( 15 ) for protection against dents and scratches when loading or unloading. Accessory ( 1 ) includes attachment means on sheet ( 2 ) for attachment to floor ( 12 ) or sidewalls ( 13 ) of boot ( 10 ). Sheet ( 2 ) comprises tough layer which rests on and protect boot lip ( 14 ) and smooth layer overlaying tough layer to assist with sliding of articles across boot lip ( 14 ). Typically sheet ( 2 ) comprises first ( 3 ), second ( 4 ) and third ( 5 ) panels interconnected by hinge joints.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to a motor vehicle accessory that protectsa boot lip and adjacent fender of a motor vehicle, eg. a sedan or ahatch, from damage when goods are loaded into the boot or else unloadedfrom the boot. It also extends to a motor vehicle incorporating theaccessory.

DEFINITIONS

[0002] In this specification the term “boot” shall be usedinterchangeably with the term “trunk”. In the USA the term “trunk” isused to describe the motor vehicle component that in Australia iscommonly referred to as the boot. This invention applies equally to thetrunk lip of a vehicle as that term is understood in the USA.

[0003] In this specification the term “fender” shall be usedinterchangeably with the term “bumper”. In the USA the term fender isused to describe the motor vehicle component that in Australia iscommonly referred to as the bumper.

[0004] In the specification the term “comprising” shall be understood tohave a broad meaning similar to the term “including” and will beunderstood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or groupof integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or stepor group of integers or steps. This definition also applies tovariations on the term “comprising” such as “comprise” and “comprises”.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Typically sedan vehicles have a rear trunk or boot. Such a bootis used to stow articles of baggage such as bags and suitcases fortravel from one location to another. Each time baggage is loaded onto orunloaded from the boot it has to be lifted up over a boot lip formed bya lower edge of a boot opening and an adjacent bumper or fender. Thesedays bumpers or fenders are generally painted the same colour as themotor vehicle and are highly aesthetic features of the vehicle. Anydamage to the fender or bumper such as a scratch, dent or the like woulddetrimentally affect the aesthetics of the vehicle and also the resalevalue of the vehicle.

[0006] Applicant has identified that the fender is extremely prone todamage during loading and unloading of the boot. The damage is usuallyin the form of scratches or chipped paint.

[0007] Clearly it would be advantageous if a means for at least reducingthis problem could be devised.

[0008] Another problem often encountered with the stowing of baggage orarticles in a boot is stabilising or anchoring the position of thearticle during motor vehicle travel. Articles with smooth bottomsurfaces have a tendency to slide around in the boot particularly whenthe car turns around corners. Clearly it would be advantageous if asimple contrivance could be devised to help overcome this problem.

[0009] The current application is focussed on providing at least apartial solution to one or more of these problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] According to one aspect of this invention there is provided amotor vehicle accessory comprising:

[0011] a sheet of flexible material for positioning inside a boot of avehicle, the boot having a floor and side walls and a boot lip and anadjacent fender, the sheet being interchangeable between a stowedposition in which it is received within the boot and an operativeposition in which it extends over the boot lip and adjacent fender toprotect the boot lip and fender when articles are loaded into orunloaded from the boot.

[0012] The accessory may include attachment means mounted on the sheetfor attaching the sheet to the floor or sidewalls of the boot.

[0013] The sheet may comprise a tough layer which in the operativeposition rests on the boot lip and adjacent fender, and a smooth layeroverlaying the tough layer to assist with the sliding of articles acrossthe boot lip when they are being loaded into or unloaded from the boot.

[0014] The tough layer may be made of a thick rubberised material andthe smooth layer may comprise any smooth plastics material, eg. aplastics or nylon material.

[0015] The tough layer may have a high co-efficient of friction toresist sliding movement thereof across the boot lip. In addition thetough layer may have formations on its surface for enhancing itsfrictional grip of the surface on which it is resting, eg. dimples,ridges or the like.

[0016] The sheet may comprise first and second sheet portionsinterconnecting with each other along one edge of the second sheet andbeing pivotal relative to each other, the sheet portions being folded ontop of each other in the stowed position and opened up in linearlyextending fashion in the operative position.

[0017] The sheet may further include a third anchor portioninterconnected with the second sheet portion along an edge opposed tosaid one edge and pivotal relative thereto.

[0018] Each of the first and second portions may be in the form ofsubstantially rectangular panels and the first and second panels may besuperimposed on each other in the stowed position. Further the thirdportion may be in the form of a substantially thinner rectangular thirdpanel and the third panel may be positioned adjacent the second paneland beneath the first panel in the stowed position.

[0019] The sheet may have lines of decreased thickness between adjacentpanels so as to permit pivoting of respectively the first and secondpanels and the second and third panels relative to each other.Alternatively other means of forming a hinge joint may be used.

[0020] The attachment means may include a hook and loop fastener whereinone of the hook and loop parts is mounted on the sheet and the other ofthe hook and loop parts is mounted on a floor surface of the boot.Conveniently the hook part may be on the attachment means and the looppart may be formed by the carpet typically found on the floor of theboot.

[0021] The accessory may further include means to assist its manualinterchange between the stowed and operative positions.

[0022] The interchange means may comprise a handle formation on thefirst panel that is remote from the anchor panel, eg. in the form of afinger opening or a stiffening rib extending along the free end of thefirst panel.

[0023] According to another aspect of this invention there is provided amotor vehicle accessory comprising:

[0024] a sheet of flexible material for positioning inside a boot of avehicle, the boot having a floor and side walls and a boot lip andadjacent fender, the sheet being interchangeable between an internaloperative position in which it extends across the floor of the boot andan external operative position in which it extends over the boot lip andadjacent fender to protect the boot lip when articles are loaded into orunloaded from the boot.

[0025] Thus the sheet may be flipped between an internal operativeposition for anchoring or stabilising an article and an externaloperative position for shielding the boot lip and fender withoutnecessarily having an intermediate stowed position that the previousaspect of the invention had.

[0026] The sheet may comprise a tough layer having a high coefficient offriction and a smooth layer in superimposed relationship with the toughlayer, and the tough layer may overlay the smooth layer and faceupwardly in the internal operative position, and the smooth layer mayoverlay the tough layer and face upwardly in the external operativeposition.

[0027] The accessory may further include attachment means for attachingthe sheet to the floor or walls of the boot, eg. as described above forthe first aspect of the invention.

[0028] The sheet may be interchangeable between said internal andexternal operative positions and also an internal stowed position withinthe boot.

[0029] According to a third aspect of this invention there is provided amotor vehicle accessory comprising:

[0030] a sheet of flexible material for positioning inside a boot of avehicle, the boot having a floor and side walls and a boot lip and anadjacent fender, wherein said sheet is interchangeable between a stowedposition in which it is received in the boot and an operative positionin which it is received within the boot and extends across the floor ofthe boot to assist in stabilising the position of articles being stowedwithin the boot.

[0031] Conveniently the sheet may comprise a tough layer having a highcoefficient of friction facing upwardly in the operative position toassist in stabilising the position of an article placed on the sheet.

[0032] The sheet may be further interchangeable between said stowed andoperative positions within the boot, and also a further operativeposition in which it extends across the boot lip and fender outside theboot.

[0033] The accessory may further include a smooth layer in superimposedrelationship with the tough layer with the smooth layer facing upwardlyin said further operative position.

[0034] According to another aspect of the invention there is provided amotor vehicle comprising:

[0035] a car body having a boot having a floor and side walls and a bootlip and a rear fender adjacent the boot lip; and

[0036] means for protecting the rear fender against damage when articlesare loaded into the boot or removed from the boot.

[0037] The protecting means may comprise a sheet of flexible materialmoveable between a stowed position within the boot and an operativeposition in which it extends across the boot lip and rear fender toprotect the boot lip and fender when articles are loaded into orunloaded from the boot. The sheet may include any one or more of thepreferred features described above with reference to the previousaspects of the invention.

[0038] The vehicle may further include means for stabilising theposition of an article within the boot during travel of the vehicle, egin the form of a sheet of flexible material arranged on the boot floor.

[0039] According to yet another aspect of this invention there isprovided a motor vehicle comprising:

[0040] a car body having a boot having a floor and side walls and a bootlip and a rear fender adjacent the boot lip; and

[0041] an accessory as defined in any one of the first to third aspectsof the invention described above.

[0042] A motor vehicle accessory in accordance with the invention maymanifest itself in a variety of forms. It will be convenient tohereinafter describe in detail at least two embodiments of the inventionwith reference to the accompanying drawings. The purpose of providingthe detailed description is to instruct persons having an interest inthe subject matter of the invention how to carry the invention intopractical effect. It is to be clearly understood however that thespecific nature of this detailed description does not supersede thegenerality of the preceding board description. In the drawings:

[0043]FIG. 1 is a three dimensional view of a vehicle accessory in useon a car;

[0044]FIG. 2 is a sectional side view of the vehicle accessory of FIG. 1in a stowed position;

[0045]FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of the accessory intermediatestowed and operative positions and showing some detail of the componentsof the sheet;

[0046] FIGS. 4-6 are three dimensional views of the accessory beingmoved from the stowed to the operative positions;

[0047]FIG. 7 is a three dimensional view of the accessory of FIG. 1 in afurther operative position;

[0048]FIG. 8 is a sectional side view of an accessory in accordance witha second embodiment of the invention;

[0049]FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the accessory of FIG. 7 in a stowedinoperative position;

[0050]FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the accessory of FIG. 7 in anoperative position.

[0051] In FIGS. 1 to 7 reference numeral 1 refers generally to a motorvehicle accessory in accordance with the invention.

[0052] The accessory 1 comprises broadly a sheet 2 having first andsecond portions 3 and 4 which serve a protective function and a thinnerthird portion 5 which serves an anchoring function. The accessory 1 ismovable between a stowed inoperative position shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 anintermediate position shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, and an operative positionshown in FIG. 6.

[0053] Each of the portions 3, 4 is formed by a panel of said sheetmaterial having a broadly rectangular configuration. The panels 3, 4 areinterconnected along one side thereof by means of a hinged joint 6. Theportion 5is also a panel of rectangular sheet material. The panel 5 isattached to the panel 4 along a side thereof that is opposed to itsattachment to the panel 3 by means of a hinged joint 7. The panel 5 ismuch thinner than the other panels 3 and 4.

[0054] A vehicle on which accessory 1 is mounted, and particularly theboot or trunk area thereof, is indicated generally by reference 10. Itcomprises vehicle body structure 11 defining a floor 12 and side walls13 and a boot lip 14. A bumper or fender 15 projects rearwardly from thestructure 11 below the boot lip 14. The bumper or fender 15 is typicallypainted the same colour as the vehicle 10.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 3 the lower layer 20 of the sheet is made of atough resilient rubberised material of a thickness of about 6-10 mm.This provides the ability to absorb an impact from articles withoutdamaging the fender 15. In addition the underside of the layer 20 has atexture that enhances its ability to grip the surface of the fender 15when it is placed across it.

[0056] The upper layer 21 has a smooth finish to enable articles to beeasily slid thereacross. Typically this might be formed by a syntheticplastics type material, eg. polyethylene or nylon. However it will beappreciated that many other materials could be used.

[0057] The hinged joints 6 and 7 between respectively panels 3 and 4 andpanels 4 and 5 may be formed by a zone of reduced thickness,particularly of the rubberised layer 20, at the point of interconnectionof the panel. It is important that the hinged joints 6, 7 can easilybend up to 180°.

[0058] The panel 5 is releasably attached to the boot structure 11 andparticularly the floor 12 of the boot by means of a hook and loopfastener, eg VELCRO type attachment 16. Hooks on the panel 5 attachreadily to loops on the floor of the boot, eg. provided by the usualcarpet lining of the floor of the boot. The fastener might comprisepatches positioned at spaced intervals along the length of the panel 5.

[0059] The accessory 1 also includes a handle in a form of a finger grip18 on the panel 3.

[0060] In use, when articles need to be stowed in a boot or trunk 10 orremoved from a boot or trunk 10, the accessory 1 is moved, eg manuallyby a user, from the inoperative to the operative positions. This isaccomplished by simply lifting the sheet 2 and placing it over thefender 15 in the manner shown in FIGS. 4 to 6. This places the rubberlayer 20 adjacent to fender 15 with the smooth upper layer 21 over whicharticles can be slid facing upwardly. This movement is simple and willliterally take a couple of seconds to effect.

[0061] Articles can then be lifted out of the boot 10. If, as oftenhappens, they bump the fender 15, the accessory 1 protects the fender 15against dents and paint damage. In some instances it may be convenientto simply lift heavy objects onto the accessory 1 and then slide themover the layer 21 of the panels 3 and 4. That is no attempt is made tolift them over the fender 15 and they are simply slid across the sheet2. This could considerably reduce the strain on a user's back whenlifting articles out of a car boot.

[0062] After use the accessory 1 is moved quickly and simply back to thestored inoperative position by folding the panel 3 on top of the panels4 and 5 which are side by side. Again this can be accomplished simplyand effectively. If goods interfere with the return of the sheet to thestowed position the sheet can simply be folded up against the side ofthe goods or rested on the top of the goods. When the goods are removedfrom the boot the sheet can then be returned to the original stowedposition.

[0063] As illustrated in FIG. 7, the accessory 1 can also be used tostabilise objects being stowed in a car boot during a journey. To dothis the portions 3 and 4 are folded out in a direction inwardly intothe boot. This places the layer 20 with a frictional gripping surfacefacing upwardly and the smooth layer 21 facing downwardly against thefloor 12 of the boot 11. That is the orientation of the accessory 1 isinverted compared to that when it is used to straddle the fender 15. Anarticle, eg an ESKY, box or container 29, can then be placed on theaccessory and the grip afforded by the layer 20 will resist movement ofthe article around the boot 11 during travel. Thus it effectivelyassists in anchoring the article.

[0064] FIGS. 8 to 10 illustrate an accessory in accordance with a secondembodiment of the invention.

[0065] This embodiment has similarities with the embodiment describedabove with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. Accordingly unless otherwiseindicated the same reference numerals will be used to the samecomponents.

[0066] The accessory 1 comprises a rectangular sheet having only onepanel 30 rather than the three panels 3, 4, 5 of the first embodiment.

[0067] The panel 30 is broadly rectangular and is attached to the floorof the boot along the edge adjacent the boot opening. This may beaccomplished by an attachment strip that is a hook and loop fastenerextending along one edge 31 of the panel 30.

[0068] A handle formation in the form of a flipping rib 32 may run alongthe opposite edge 33 of the panel 30 to assist in manually moving thepanel 30 from the stowed to the operative positions and back again.

[0069]FIG. 8 shows the accessory in the stowed position and FIG. 9 showsthe accessory in the operative position. In the stowed position thepanel 30 lies on the floor of the boot. To move the accessory to theoperative position it is simply a case of flipping the panel 30 through180°. The panel 30 is capable of pivoting about a point adjacent to theattachment strip.

[0070] An advantage of the accessory described above is that it isrelatively simple and easy to use. It also performs two importantfunctions, namely protecting the fender against damage whenloading/unloading articles from the boot and also providing a stableanchoring means for assisting in stabilising articles in the boot duringtravel. Further the accessory can easily be fitted to the overwhelmingmajority of existing motor vehicles without any modification beingrequired. In addition one size of the accessory would fit most vehicles.

[0071] It will of course be realised that the above has been given onlyby way of illustrative example of the invention and that allmodifications and variations thereto that would be apparent to personskilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambitto the invention herein set forth.

1. A motor vehicle accessory comprising: a sheet of flexible materialfor positioning inside a boot of a vehicle, the boot having a floor andside walls and a boot lip and an adjacent fender, the sheet beinginterchangeable between a stowed position in which it is received withinthe boot and an operative position in which it extends over the boot lipand adjacent fender to protect the boot lip and fender when articles areloaded into or unloaded from the boot.
 2. A motor vehicle accessoryaccording to claim 1, including attachment means mounted on the sheetfor attaching the sheet to the floor or side walls of the boot.
 3. Amotor vehicle accessory according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein thesheet comprises a tough layer which in the operative position rests onthe boot lip and a smooth layer overlaying the tough layer to assistwith the sliding of articles across the boot lip when they are beingloaded into or unloaded from the boot.
 4. A motor vehicle accessoryaccording to claim 3, wherein the tough layer is made of a thickrubberised material and the smooth layer comprises any smooth material.5. A motor vehicle accessory according to claim 3 or claim 4, whereinthe tough layer has a high co-efficient of friction to resist slidingmovement thereof across the boot lip.
 6. A motor vehicle accessoryaccording to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the tough layer hasformations on its surface for enhancing its frictional grip of thesurface on which it is resting.
 7. A motor vehicle accessory accordingto any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sheet comprises first andsecond sheet portions interconnecting with each other along one edge ofthe second sheet portion and being pivotal relative to each other, thesheet portions being folded on top of each other in the stowed positionand opened up in linearly extending fashion in the operative position.8. A motor vehicle accessory according to claim 7, wherein the sheetfurther includes a third anchor portion interconnected with the secondsheet portion along another edge opposed to said one edge and pivotalrelative thereto.
 9. A motor vehicle accessory according to claim 8,wherein each of the first and second portions are in the form ofsubstantially rectangular panels with the first panel disposed above thesecond panel in the stowed position, and the third portion is in theform of a substantially thinner rectangular panel, with the third panelbeing positioned adjacent the second panel and beneath the first panelin the stowed position.
 10. A motor vehicle accessory according to claim9, wherein the sheet has lines of decreased thickness between adjacentpanels so as to permit the pivoting of respectively the first and secondpanels and the second and third panels relative to each other.
 11. Amotor vehicle accessory according to any one of claims 2 to 10, whereinthe attachment means includes a hook and loop fastener and wherein oneof the hook and loop parts is mounted on the sheet and the other of thehook and loop parts is mounted on a floor surface of the boot.
 12. Amotor vehicle accessory according to any one of claims 9 to 11, whereinthe accessory further includes means to assist its manual interchangebetween the stowed and operative positions.
 13. A motor vehicleaccessory according to claim 12, wherein the interchange means comprisesa handle formation on the first panel that is remote from the anchorpanel.
 14. A motor vehicle accessory comprising: a sheet of flexiblematerial for positioning inside a boot of a vehicle, the boot having afloor and side walls and a boot lip and an adjacent fender, the sheetbeing interchangeable between an internal operative position in which itextends across the floor of the boot and an external operative positionin which it extends over the boot lip and adjacent fender to protect theboot lip when articles are loaded into or unloaded from the boot.
 15. Amotor vehicle accessory according to claim 14, wherein the sheetcomprises a tough layer having a high coefficient of friction and asmooth layer in superimposed relationship with the tough layer, andwherein the tough layer overlays the smooth layer and faces upwardly inthe internal operative position and the smooth layer overlays the toughlayer and faces upwardly in the external operative position.
 16. A motorvehicle accessory according to claim 14 or claim 15, further includingattachment means mounted on the sheet for attaching the sheet to thefloor or walls of the boot.
 17. A motor vehicle accessory according toany one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the sheet is interchangeable betweensaid internal and external operative positions and also an internalstowed position within the boot.
 18. A motor vehicle accessorycomprising: a sheet of flexible material for positioning inside a bootof a vehicle, the boot having a floor and side walls and a boot lip andan adjacent fender, wherein said sheet is interchangeable between astowed position in which it is received in the boot and an operativeposition in which it is received within the boot and extends across thefloor of the boot to assist in stabilising the position of articlesbeing stowed within the boot.
 19. A motor vehicle accessory according toclaim 18, wherein the sheet comprises a tough layer having a highcoefficient of friction facing upwardly in the operative position toassist in stabilising the position of an article placed on the sheet,and attachment means mounted on the sheet for attaching the sheet to thefloor or walls of the boot.
 20. A motor vehicle accessory according toclaim 18 or 19, wherein the sheet is interchangeable between said stowedand operative positions within the boot, and also a further operativeposition in which it extends across the boot lip.
 21. A motor vehicleaccessory according to any one of claims 18 to 20, further including asmooth layer in superimposed relationship with the tough layer with thesmooth layer facing upwardly in said further operative position.
 22. Amotor vehicle comprising: a car body having a boot having a floor andside walls and a boot lip and a rear fender adjacent the boot lip; andmeans for protecting the rear fender against damage when articles areloaded into the boot or removed from the boot.
 23. A motor vehicleaccording to claim 22, wherein the protecting means comprises a sheet offlexible material moveable between a stowed position within the boot andan operative position in which it extends across the rear fender toprotect the boot lip and fender when articles are loaded into orunloaded from the boot.
 24. A motor vehicle according to claim 22 orclaim 23, further including means for stabilising the position of anarticle within the boot during travel of the vehicle.
 25. A motorvehicle according to claim 24, wherein the stabilising means comprisessaid sheet of flexible material arranged in an operative position on theboot floor.
 26. A motor vehicle comprising: a car body having a boothaving a floor and side walls and a boot lip and a rear fender adjacentthe boot lip; and an accessory as defined in any one of claims 1 to 21mounted on the car body.